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“if the budget is defeated, the first place the regional board will turn to is making re­ductions in the high school budget. “I’m hoping we’ll resolve the issues on the contracts, what I consider unimportant issues,”

Read the last line of this story in the Republican American…. Superintendent Patricia Cham­berlain is more interested in not honoring her three-year contract already signed than educating the children in the region

KENT — A former elemen­tary school principal warned the local Board of Education that the regional school budget may be defeated on Tuesday due to unhappiness over admin­istrative contracts.

Edward Epstein said Thurs­day that he is planning to vote against the Region 1 education­al budget that will be decided by referendum in all six towns Tuesday.

“I am totally supportive of the high school,” said Epstein, who served as the Kent Center School principal for several decades.

“I am not supportive of ex­tending contracts until the year 2015 when there is no immedi­ate need to do so.”

He asked the local school offi­cials to not cut from the budget of Housatonic Valley Regional High School but rather examine the central office budget.

The Region 1 budget is com­posed of three sections, HVRHS, Pupil Services (which is the cost for special education) and the Regional School Service Center (RSSC) also referred to as the Central Office.

Epstein warned that a num­ber of people in the region are unhappy that four of the six members of the Region 1 Board of Ed are not listening to the concerns of residents.

He singled out Kent’s repre­sentative Jonathan Moore as one of those who was not listen­ing. Moore contested this, say­ing that he had spent more than an hour meeting with Epstein after a recent meeting.

The Region 1 Board of Edu­cation approved extending the contracts an additional year for the region’s administrators that included Superintendent Patri­cia Chamberlain, Assistant Su­perintendent Diane Goncalves, Business Manager Samuel Her­rick, Pupil Services Director Carl Gross and Supervisor of Special Education Martha Schwaikert.

This was based on the recom­mendation from the All Boards Committee, which is composed of the chairmen of the seven Boards of Education in the re­gion.

Each administrator was granted a 2 percent or 3 percent raise and a contract through 2015. Some residents also ob­jected to a similar extension last year.

Tracy Horosky, Kent Board of Education chairman, said that ABC Committee has heard the concerns and is asking for authorization to conduct a study of how administrator contracts are handled by other school dis­tricts.

She said the research would not be available for this budget season but the group is trying to be responsive.

“I’d ask you to reconsider your position,” Horosky said to Epstein.

“The message that you send is a severe one. It holds bad repercussions for the kids.” Su­perintendent Patricia Cham­berlain said later in the meeting that if the budget is defeated, the first place the regional board will turn to is making re­ductions in the high school budget. She urged support for the $15.4 million budget, which shows a 1.7 percent increase.

“I’m hoping we’ll resolve the issues on the contracts, what I consider unimportant issues,” Chamberlain said. She pointed out that the regional board could try to renegotiate con­tracts.

“I AM TOTALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. I AM NOT SUPPORTIVE OF EXTENDING CONTRACTS UNTIL THE YEAR 2015 WHEN THERE IS NO IMMEDIATE NEED TO DO SO.”